


In Hushed Whispers

by FLEISCHGEWEHR



Category: Rammstein
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mein Herz Brennt, Hospitals, Mental Health Issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:21:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26191096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FLEISCHGEWEHR/pseuds/FLEISCHGEWEHR
Summary: Boarding school for special kids in the middle of a forest. Secluded hideout for broken minds and lonely souls to find a peace.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	In Hushed Whispers

**Author's Note:**

> Charecters and tags will be added with new chapters. As well as slight shift in rating somewhere along the line *wink wink*. 
> 
> For more atmosphere you can listen to Joep Beving. His music is the second main inspiration and motivation for this fic.

The corridors of the school, once filled with children's voices, now were unusually quiet. Spring break took away some of the residents back to their parents, leaving only especially desperate cases and kids with heartless parents and nowhere to go. The thought of such kids made Paul's heart ache with sorrow while he was making his morning route through the main building. He cared for all of them as if they were his and was determined to make their stay as pleasant and welcoming in his facility as possible. 

It was not a simple boarding school. It was a hospital for kids with mental disorders, owned and founded by his close friend baron Richard Zven von Kruspe.   
He still keeps a letter he received a few years prior, explaining the early death of the Baron's beloved wife and the state in which he and his kids were in; his hopes and dreams for a brighter future, his pain and sorrow about the present. It was an official invitation to a newly built boarding school for special kids: his kids. 

Paul couldn't say no to this. And quite frankly his life in the big city wasn't satisfying anyway, too noisy and lonely; gloomy and cold with big clouds of dark smoke covering skies everywhere he goes. This school gave him a new hope for something bigger than he was. It was a beautiful hideout in the middle of a forest for those in need of place for peace of mind, taking care of hurting souls and giving them a chance to be a part of this world. He was ready to do his best and give away his spark to each and every one in need of one. 

Back to the present, it was the middle of spring. The forest around the school was slowly waking from winter sleep, bringing back colours and smells. School itself was in chaotic disorder in preparations of finishing a winter routine and getting reading for summer madness. More new kids soon would fill the rooms of the place, more souls to save. 

Paul was standing near one of the windows in a long corridor going along the classes and small library they managed to create. He was deep in his thoughts, still going through plans for the next week of break, of things that must be done and kids that had been left in the hospital. He was planning a special event for them to cheer them up and give reassurance that they were not forgotten and were deeply loved, at least by Paul's biggest heart. 

Paul reached for the window to open it to let fresh spring wind in and take away stale air in the corridor. As soon as the large frame opened, one of the doors on the other side of the corridor opened with a loud bang on the wall and a gust of the wind rushed into the new opening bringing a wave of papers flying along with it. 

Paul froze in place, momentarily being mesmerized by the scene but quickly regained focus and laughed at himself, closing the windows back. He then rushed to pick up all the papers that flew from the now widely opened classroom. The room was the domain of Christoph Schneider, their personal priest and teacher. More of the second than the first, but that's the topic for hushed whispers. And even though Paul didn't believe or condone such whispers, he didn't have a want to find out if the stories were true and make Schneider angry on his account. He was already menacing enough as he was. 

After picking up the last piece of paper, Paul hurried to the room, carefully peeking in and pulling his director face up before entering. Schneider was confused, standing in the middle of the white sea of papers and carefully picking them up one by one, examining each page and laying it in proper order. Paul felt shame creeping up his neck and had an urge to hide behind his collar. Instead he coughed a little bit and smiled broadly, when he got the teacher's attention. - "Good morning, Herr Schneider. Oh, but I see it's quite the opposite of good for you..I must admit it might be my fault" - Paul waited a moment for a reaction, preparing to run in case of sudden rage. Instead, resignation settled on the man's face and he sighed, fixing the glasses on his nose. 

"Good morning, Herr Director" - the deep voice was calm and cold, as always, sharply piercing through Paul's bones. He nodded brusquely in Paul's direction, greeting his guest and looked over the papers on the floor. - "Nothing to worry about. I was planning to go through them again anyway." - a small sarcastic smile appeared on his thin lips and he picked up another paper, looked it over and placed it in one of the stacks on the teacher's table. 

Paul exhaled tension that gathered on the back of his neck and relaxed in the presence of the man that just now was hunting his mind with scary rumors. He mentally scolded himself for letting the gossip take over with prejudice and approached the table to place papers he gathered in the corridor earlier. 

Silence hung between them. Schneider was fully focused on gathering his notes and placing them in tight order and Paul, lost without words to say, focused on papers he just brought. On the top of the stack was a page fully covered in pencil scratches of human bodies, detailed beyond decency and amazingly drawn. Paul traced with his fingers male body covered in defined muscles and appealing curves when the deep voice shook him into reality, making him slightly jump in surprise and hide his hands behind his back, as if he was caught doing something nasty. 

"I got the latest shipment of the books. It included anatomy studies that I was..really thrilled to receive." - he was visibly ashamed of this fact but Paul wasn't quite sure why. He just smiled again and nodded in acknowledgement for Schneider to continue. -" we..in the monastery..didn't have anatomy studies. And quite honestly religious libraries are not the most inclusive when it comes to certain topics. I really believe that churches should be more open for..science." - the last word came with a great force as if it was a curse. Schneider fixed his glasses again, deep thinking going through his face. But suddenly he shuddered and faced Paul, looked a bit lost. -" All I want to say is thank you for letting me have these books, Herr Director. By the end of the summer I should have an anatomy course ready, for the older kids."

Seeing the man who minutes ago had been menacing, now being lost and confused made Paul relax even more. He realized that he didn't know this person at all and despite him holding his professional facade in front of everyone all the time, something made him slip in front of Paul into a more emotional version of himself with a snap of the fingers. 

Paul approached Schneider to stand in front of him and nodded again in approval. A warm, calming smile decorated his lips.- "That is amazing to hear. And I saw you already making quite the progress on new material. Your drawings are fascinating." - Paul noticed a red line creeping on the neck behind the tall black collar of Schneider's shirt and it made him pleased. - "But it brings me to another thing that crossed my mind. You've been part of our institution for a bit more than a year now but, quite honestly, I don't know anything about you. I have a proposal, your acceptance of which will make me happy. Would you mind joining me during my evening walk sometimes?" - Paul fell silent and focused on the other man's face, catching every bit of emotion that crossed it. 

At first Schneider was visibly surprised by those words. He opened his eyes wider but gathered himself quickly enough, lowering his head. He hummed to his thoughts and after an uncomfortably long pause, finally answered, peeking at Paul above the frames of his glasses. - "It will be my pleasure, Herr Director."

"Landers. No need to be that formal." - pleased with himself, Paul moved towards the still wide opened door. - "Every evening I'm going for a walk along a forest trail to the lake nearby. I'll wait for you at 7pm near the main gates."- he stopped near the door frame and after a second of thinking added - "I hope you'll come." - he almost quietly laughed at himself and how unexpectedly turned this morning had gone. He left the room, continuing his morning ritual, leaving the classroom behind. 

Schneider let out a huge sigh, and whispered a small curse, instantly grabbing the cross on his neck with regret of this action. He looked over the mess that the smaller man brought along with himself. Everything looked like a hurricane just stormed inside. But it was not only the floor covered in notes but also his racing heart inside. He wasn't expecting such an honest reaction from a complete stranger. As Herr Landers told earlier, he managed to go a full year without making any human relationships inside those walls. It wasn't his priority. He felt contained with his studies and teaching children. Maybe that was the reason, he forgot what it's like when people pay attention to you. There was something about human emotions and brain chemistry in one of the new books he got recently. 

Schneider rushed for his table and started hastily going through thick large tomes of biology literature, trying to find the chapter on human emotions. Fascination of being a live subject on the topic rushed through his blood. He cleared a small space on the table and started writing down new notes, putting down on the papers events that just happened and compared them to information in the book.


End file.
